ARREST WAS NOT AUTHORIZED, CONVICTION FOR RESISTING ARREST REVERSED IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE (ERROR NOT PRESERVED) (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing defendant’s conviction for resisting arrest in the interest of justice (error not preserved), determined the arrest was not authorized. The complainant told the police a man in a white BMW had pointed a gun at him. When the complainant saw the defendant and another man standing near a white BMW he said “that’s them.” Because the officers did not know which of the two men pointed the gun at the complainant, they did not have probable cause to arrest the defendant at the time he fled:

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A person is guilty of resisting arrest when he or she intentionally prevents or attempts to prevent a police officer from effectuating an authorized arrest of himself or herself or another person … . “A key element of resisting arrest is the existence of an authorized arrest, including a finding that the arrest was premised on probable cause” … . Although the defendant’s contention that the prosecution failed to present legally sufficient evidence of an authorized arrest is unpreserved for appellate review … , we reach it in the exercise of our interest of justice jurisdiction … . Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the People … , we agree with the defendant that the evidence was not legally sufficient to establish the element of authorized arrest because, as a matter of law, the evidence failed to establish that the police had probable cause to arrest the defendant. Generally, information provided by an identified citizen accusing another individual of a specific crime is legally sufficient to provide the police with probable cause to arrest … . However, at the time that the complainant pointed to the defendant and [another] and stated “that’s them,” the police officers had only been informed that one individual pointed a firearm at the complainant. Therefore, under the circumstances presented here, the officers could not have concluded that it was more probable than not that the defendant … had been driving the white BMW and pointed a firearm at the complainant. Accordingly, the evidence was legally insufficient to establish the defendant’s guilt of the crime of resisting arrest. People v Andrews, 2017 NY Slip Op 07747, Second Dept 11-8-17

 

CRIMINAL LAW (ARREST WAS NOT AUTHORIZED, CONVICTION FOR RESISTING ARREST REVERSED IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE (ERROR NOT PRESERVED) (SECOND DEPT))/APPEALS  (CRIMINAL LAW, INTEREST OF JUSTICE, ARREST WAS NOT AUTHORIZED, CONVICTION FOR RESISTING ARREST REVERSED IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE (ERROR NOT PRESERVED) (SECOND DEPT))/RESISTING ARREST (ARREST WAS NOT AUTHORIZED, CONVICTION FOR RESISTING ARREST REVERSED IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE (ERROR NOT PRESERVED) (SECOND DEPT))/ARREST (PROBABLE CAUSE, ARREST WAS NOT AUTHORIZED, CONVICTION FOR RESISTING ARREST REVERSED IN THE INTEREST OF JUSTICE (ERROR NOT PRESERVED) (SECOND DEPT))